Dimora Delle Balze
Occupying a privileged spot atop a ridge, overlooking a valley of gorges and wild countryside, Dimora Delle Balze is an 18th century fortified Masseria, respun into a tasteful realm of limestone courtyards and earthy, linen-draped rooms. The grey, freckled walls of the old masseria are smothered in bougainvillaea, and its rooms appear to exhale onto courtyards dappled in sunlight and dotted with cacti and wrought iron daybeds. Everything flows, from the farmhouse breakfast table heaving with Sicilian citrus cakes, cheeses and fresh orchard jams to the terrace, lined with gnarled stone columns, and the courtyards funnel guests towards a good-looking pool, around which a boardwalk leads to cabanas with valley views. Noto’s Baroque treasures are within easy reach, though you’d be forgiven for staying put and scoffing the Sicilian classics worked from organic garden bounty or wallowing in the pool with a Negroni Spagliato.
